NAACP: Selma Is Now

Fifty years ago this week, hundreds of courageous men and women were bludgeoned and bloodied by Alabama state troopers as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They were marching from Selma to Montgomery to secure the basic, constitutional right to vote. Their actions catalyzed a national movement that ultimately led to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965.

Commemorate the lives and sacrifices of these brave marchers by sharing this image on Facebook.

It’s 2015, but voting rights continue to be in peril for rural, older, college-enrolled, disabled, and black and brown voters. Those who live in states with a documented history of voter suppression now face new laws aimed at keeping our most vulnerable populations away from the polls.

Today, thousands of civil rights leaders and activists like you are gathering in Selma to kick off a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma-to-Montgomery March.

And while we commemorate the anniversary of this great march, we must also remember that our rights are still not secured—Selma is now.